Tag Archives: Lettuce

Paleo Asian Ground Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I had some organic ground chicken so I went browsing and found this awesome PF Chang-like Paleo Lettuce Wrap recipe at CaveGirlCuisine.net. I normally will find a recipe that inspires me to recreate a healthier version but this recipe needed very little change at all. The only edit I made was that I used cooking sherry instead of white wine vinegar, otherwise everything was the same.

I was so impressed at how fast this meal came together. No complicated instructions, uses just 1 pan and you only have to dice up a few things. Easy peazy lemon squeezy right?

i’m a sucker for anything that can be used in a lettuce wrap. I found this non-gmo living butter lettuce at my local grocer a while ago and fell in love. They last forever because it’s live and I use them to make blt’s or tuna “sammiches”, etc. I don’t eat bread but who needs to with these little convenient lettuce cups?

This recipe yielded 10 – 11 lettuce wraps so we had leftovers since it’s just the hubby and I. Just keep the chicken mixture in the fridge in a covered bowl and reheat as needed. It reheats really good. Throw a few slivered almonds and green onions to garnish if you want to get all fancy 🙂

A second round of these has already been requested. I’m going to try them with organic ground turkey next. I’m confident they will be just as good, just a little less fat which isn’t a bad thing. Enjoy.

⅓ cup scallions, chopped (the white part, reserve the green part for garnish)

4-5 cloves garlic, minced OR 3 teaspoons already minced from a jar

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

¼ cup slivered almonds

3 Tablespoons coconut aminos (can sub with soy sauce but then it wouldn't be paleo)

1 Tablespoon cooking sherry OR white wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon Scriracha hot sauce

1 Tablespoon raw honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

In a medium/large skillet heat sesame oil and add ground chicken. Cook until almost done. You will be cooking it longer when the other ingredients are added so you don't want to overcook it in the beginning.

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Cups – Paleo, Gluten-Free

I love Chinese food but eating healthy and Chinese food don’t always go together. I’ve posted a couple of great paleo Chinese dishes like my paleo orange chickenandpaleo faux fried ricewhich I make on a regular basis so this dish will feel right at home.

I found this great recipe, made a few minor tweaks, grabbed some butter lettuce and I was a happy Bunny. Nommy nom nom.

Even better was that the main cooking time of this dish goes on in the slow cooker but it’s the quickest slow cooker recipe I’ve made. What sped it up was the few minutes of sauteing the chicken. A few minutes saved a few hours in the slow cooker so that was cool.

My hubby is usually my taste tester and I knew he loved this recipe because after he had eaten this 2 times he asked if there was any more left. The first time he had it he ate it warmed but then he started eating it on organic pita bread cold like it was a fancy chicken salad.

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad – No Mayo

I love that there is no mayo in this recipe but what I love most are the wheat berries. I discovered this little gem of a grain a while back and was excited to incorporate it into a recipe. Have you heard about wheat berries yet?

Wheat berries are a true whole grain! Without these kernels, there would be no flour. Wheat berries are loaded with nutrients and are as easy as rice to prepare. They resemble rice when uncooked and puff up a little after boiled.

When boiled, cooked wheat berries have a chewy bite and subtle nutty, earthy flavor. They’re sturdy enough to handle bold salad dressings and still delicate enough to taste delicious with some milk, honey and cinnamon.

Since the wheat kernel is left intact, virtually none of the nutrients are stripped away. A cup of cooked wheat berries has about 300 calories and is packed with fiber, protein and iron.

I’m absolutely bringing this to the next BBQ or party I go to. I’m a naturally anxious person so just the decision of what to bring to a party makes my brain spin. I have criteria and a tray of pre-cut veggies in plastic just doesn’t cut it.

Don’t let the list of ingredients deter you from making this salad. You probably have most of the ingredients already in your kitchen and the rest are super easy to pick up. Plus, once you pick up some wheat berries, you’ll be happy to have them on hand for any future recipes. I purchase mine in the bulk section at Whole Foods but Bob’s Red Mill also sells packaged wheat berries.

Wheat berries are easy to cook. There are some recipes that call for boiling them for about an hour and others that call for soaking them overnight. I opt for soaking overnight. I put the wheat berries in a bowl with water, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight. The next day while you are preparing the rest of the recipe, boil the wheat berries. It’s really simple.

I enjoyed this salad as a side to a chicken breast on top of a nice spring mix bed of lettuce. It started out that way anyway. In actuality I scooped up the Waldorf and topped my chicken with it.

Wheat berries alone are packed with protein but this salad is a great compliment to any additional protein you might want to add. Top chicken, pork, fish or steak, it all works.

Another serving suggestion is to spoon the Waldorf salad into bib lettuce and top with diced chicken breast = Waldorf Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps.